Going on a barefoot walk

August 27, 2017Rabbit Ideas

One of our favourite stories is We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen. It is a classic for a reason; a simple yet brilliant storyline, pitched just right for young children. It is also a great introduction to rhyme and rhythm through poetry. So, when we went to visit Conkers recently, we naturally had to join in the barefoot walk, and repeat lines from the story as we experienced some of the different terrain. This was our favourite part of the day trip and would be easy to re-create at home, albeit on a smaller scale.

Splash Splosh!

The water was cold and Little was hesitant, but Big joined me for a splashy walk through- we pretended it was a river, and the lumps and bumps underfoot could be crocodiles! Occasionally some weed brushed our feet… or was it a piranha?!

Squelch Squerch!

Sand was more familiar (and a lot softer)- the kids talked about the different textures they were experiencing- this was great for Little’s expanding vocabulary: Cold, hard, soft, smooth, rough, slippery, bumpy, slimy, crunchy, sticky…

Stumble trip!

Walking on the wooden logs was surprisingly easy as they were smooth- Little enjoyed jumping from one log to another as well- practicing his gross motor skills as we went.

We had a great time and it was lovely to see a wide age range of children really enjoying the barefoot walk, right from littlies to teenagers and beyond!

This would be a great activity to re-create at home or at the local park or beach- grass, sand, pebbles and mud would all be great natural materials to use. Alternatively, using a tuff tray, you could make a messy mixture of shaving foam and other materials to extend the activity further.

What a lovely idea to accompany ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ (which we adore too). I love the sensory aspect to the activity and like you say you can do it so many different places. Thanks for joining us on #adventurecalling I hope you can again tomorrow.

Love this idea. We are all massive fans of going on a bear hunt in this house so I can see Finn loving this. Conkers looks like great fun, and I love the idea of recreating this at home. So simple but so effective. Thanks for inspiring me and sharing with us #AdventureCalling

#thesatsesh We are also fans of the book, although I was disappointed by the TV version and it didn’t grip may son either. We are also fans of bare feet and so the two ideas together seems fun. I’m going to have to think of where we could go this near us now? fab ideas – as always